GENEVA, Switzerland – The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an official update Tuesday confirming two laboratory-verified hantavirus infections and five additional suspected cases among passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, with three people already dead from the outbreak.
In a formal statement, the UN health agency outlined that as of May 4, 2026, the cluster of infections includes one patient in critical condition and three others experiencing only mild symptoms. The vessel, the MV Hondurus operated by Dutch expedition cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions, was carrying a total of 147 people representing 23 nationalities when the outbreak unfolded during a voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, to its destination off West Africa. The first onset of illness among those affected was recorded between April 6 and April 28, 2026.
Symptoms of the infection reported on the ship follow the typical severe profile of hantavirus: patients initially develop fever and gastrointestinal distress, which progresses rapidly to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and life-threatening shock. Further epidemiological and clinical investigations are still underway to map the origin and spread of the virus, per WHO.
The first two fatalities were a Dutch married couple: the husband died on board the vessel on April 11, and his wife, who had already developed gastrointestinal symptoms, disembarked at Saint Helena to accompany his remains for repatriation. She grew progressively worse during a commercial flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on April 25, and died after arriving at a South African emergency department the following day. Her infection was confirmed as hantavirus via PCR testing on May 4. In response to this exposure event, WHO has launched contact tracing efforts to reach every passenger who shared that April 25 flight with the infected woman, to screen for potential new cases.
Of the seven confirmed and suspected cases, three have already left the MV Hondurus, while four remain on the stranded vessel. A third fatality, a German national, died on board on Saturday. According to Oceanwide Expeditions, a British passenger is currently receiving treatment in intensive care in Johannesburg, while two additional crew members – one British and one Dutch – require urgent medical intervention.
The ship currently holds passengers and crew from a wide range of origins, including the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and the Philippines, where most of the crew hail from.
WHO experts emphasized that while the outbreak is concerning for those on the ship, the overall risk of widespread transmission to the global population remains classified as low. The agency noted it will continue maintaining active surveillance and monitoring of the situation as investigations progress.
As a pathogen, hantavirus causes rare but often severe, potentially fatal infections in humans. Most infections are acquired through direct or indirect contact with urine, feces, or saliva from infected rodent populations. However, WHO confirmed that limited human-to-human transmission has been documented in past hantavirus outbreaks in other regions.